One Night Stand
by paulacole
Summary: Post – ‘Threads’. She was devastated by her father’s death, he was feel lost of descending. They were both drunk and horny. But how do you deal with the ramifications of a one-night stand? Spoilers for Threads
1. Default Chapter

One-Night Stand 

Post – 'Threads'. She was devastated by her father's death, he was feel lost of descending. They were both drunk and horny. But how do you deal with the ramifications of a one-night stand?

_Author's Note: _

_Yeah, I know I like my M ratings. If you people review Jealousy, I might write my fluff :p. _

Chapter One 

She had been relieved beyond words when Doctor Daniel Jackson had returned to earth, safe and sound – and memory intact, too. For a few minutes, it had distracted her from the death of her father.

… And then it would all come back to her. To be fair, she supposed she had had four years with him that she wouldn't have had without Salmak, his symbiote – four wonderful years after a long estrangement. In those four years, she had told herself that if he died tomorrow, it would have been more, so much more, that she would have otherwise had.

But now that he was dead, it was hard to believe that.

Jack tried to comfort her. During Jacob's final hours, they had shared an intimacy that she had been longing for ever since she and Jack had first met. It had been Jacob's dream that she and Jack end up together, and he had died believing that dream was on the way to being fulfilled.

And maybe it was, in those final hours. But once he had gone – a sense of loss had overwhelmed her that Colonel Jack O'Neill couldn't penetrate. No-one could. She was on her own.

In a way, she was grateful that she and Pete had split. She loved him, he was a good friend, or rather had been, she didn't think he'd want to be friends anymore, but she wasn't _in love_ with him. She didn't need to deal with the complications of their failing relationship on top of her own grief.

At least now she didn't have to fret about Daniel. A part of her had been hoping him to be dead, so that would be it. For him to return to them alive was more then she could have hoped for.

Maybe there was a God out there, after all. One that wasn't just a Goa'uld impersonation. _Oh, wait_, Samantha thought wryly. _We seem to have killed them all_. She wondered if Daniel had anything to do with that. Probably. Daniel achieved much more then people – Jack especially – gave him credit. Often, it had been Daniel she had turned to when she was down. Jack wasn't good at the comfort stuff. He was too military for that.

But ultimately it had been Jack she'd wanted to be with these last eight years. Of course, she'd kept that a secret. There were too many complications with them being together. And she'd though Jack didn't return her feelings. But being at the hospital with him –

Not that it mattered. She was too buried in her grief for anyone to touch her. She wanted to be alone. She wanted to get drunk.

Doctor Daniel Jackson was feeling lost. This wasn't quite as bad as the last time he'd descended, when he'd had his memories completely wiped and it had been a bitch getting them back. (As if dealing with his wife's death the _first_ time at the hands of his friend and team-mate hadn't been bad enough.) But you didn't go from a higher plane of enlightenment to Earth without feeling some sense of being lost.

The stress of being locked in mental combat with Replicator Carter was coming back to him, too. The bitch (although he didn't think computer-machine-whatever-they-were-things had genders) had leeched onto his knowledge and hidden memories. He had never been raped, but he could sympathise with how _violated_ the victims must feel.

At least he'd gotten the better of her in the end. The Replicators had been completely wiped out, and it seemed the Goa'uld system lords were running around the galaxy in absolute chaos. Daniel had a vauge feeling he was somehow responsible for that, too, although he couldn't pinpoint exactly how. All he knew was that he felt terribly alone, and more then a little violated to boot.

He felt like getting blind, stinking drunk.

Samantha wasn't sure was led her to Daniel's door at two in the morning. A sixth sense told her he'd still be up, feeling just as lost as she was. She only knew she couldn't go to Jack. He wouldn't understand her loss. He would try to relate it to the loss of his son, his wife, but Samantha knew they just wouldn't connect. Not the way she and Daniel would.

She and Daniel had always had that connection. Way back when the Stargate program first started, and she'd put her life in danger by staying with Cassandra, a literal walking time-bomb, he'd understood why she'd done it – better then Jack or General Hammond. And he hadn't held it against her when she'd gotten teary about the girl. _" I keep forgetting you're not military, "_ she'd said, but she'd meant it as a good thing. There were times she needed a friend who didn't think in stoic military terms.

A friend like Daniel.

Daniel opened the door, fully dressed and not entirely sober. He had made no attempt to go to bed, but his attempts to get drunks weren't entirely successful, either. Four hours and he was somewhere between tipsy and drunk. It just wasn't in his nature to get drunk alone.

" Sam! " he said warmly, pulling her into his apartment and into a bear hug as if she was a long-lost friend. Which she kind of was. Being killed by a Replicator and then descended back to earth after you turned your nose up at enlightenment made you value some things more.

Samantha wrapped her arms around Daniel's neck. That's what she missed about Daniel, his easy affection. He just didn't get the reserved nature of the military. " Oh, Daniel, it's so good to have you back, " she said into his chest. Her tears were already starting to wet his shirt.

He pulled her away and looked into her tear-filled eyes. He hated seeing Samantha upset. It had always burned him the way Jack never took better care of her. It was obvious she cared about him, and he returned her feelings to some degree, but it wasn't in Jack's nature to be caring – especially about someone as resilient as Samantha, who he knew would somehow muddle through it on their own.

But someone even the most resilient people don't want to muddle through it on their own. They want to be held and taken care of. So Daniel held her, trying to repress the resentment that it was Jack and not him that Samantha cared about. He could take so much better care of her. " Jack told me about Jacob, " he said. " I'm really sorry, Sam. I wish I could have been there. " It was the one thing he regretted about his absence more then anything else.

Samantha looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. " Thankyou, " she whispered brokenly. " I don't want to talk about it. Not yet. To tell the truth – " she looked sheepish, " – I came over thinking you might want to get drunk with me. Right now I feel like drinking myself into oblivion. "

" Sounds good to me, " Daniel agreed. He led her into the cramped living room, where he was working his way (slowly) through a carton of beer.

Sam wrinkled up her nose. Beer was _not _an efficient way to drink. " Got anything stronger? " she asked.

The lady meant business. Daniel procured a bottle of whisky from his liquor cabinet and two shot glasses. " I aim to please, " he said grandly, pouring them both a shot. He handed one to Samantha. " One… two… _three! _" They quickly downed their shots, and Daniel poured another two.

An hour and most of the whisky later, they were happy as clams and filling each other in on what the other had missed. " Oh, man, I can't believe you killed that bitch! " Samantha said gleefully. " Good for you, Danny. Never liked her. "

" I like _you_ much better, " Daniel said gravely, pouring out the last of the whisky in two equal portions.

Samantha looked forlornly as the empty bottle, wishing she'd brought her own stuff with her. " No more? " she said sadly.

Daniel laughed. " I have Bourbon that Jack got me last Christmas, unopened, " he said. " Normally I hate Bourbon but – " he giggled, " – right now I'm too drunk to care and only want to get drunker. "

Samantha laughed. " Yeah, Jack always did have horrible taste, " she agreed, thinking about Kerry Johnson and wondering what Jack saw in her. She supposed a man had to get laid, but there had always been something _off_ about the woman, in Samantha's humble opinion. Strange that Jack's defection to Kerry didn't hurt now as much as it usually did. And she had Daniel to thank for that. When he returned with the bourbon, she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

" What's that for?" Daniel asked, secretly pleased with Samantha's show of affection.

Samantha giggled. She took a long look at him and realised she hadn't noticed when he'd gotten so hot. Today when she'd caught a glimpse (well, OK, more then a glimpse) of him with only a flag to cover his dignity, she'd realised how built-up Daniel had become since knowing him. Now she couldn't help but thinking about those chiselled abs, those muscly legs. She gulped, and forced her mind away from Daniel Jackson's physique. " Just for being you, " she said.

Made sense to Daniel. And it was about time someone appreciated him for him. He poured out two shots of bourbon, his hand shaking as he did. " Whoops, " he said in a sing-song voice. " I think after this we need to drink out of the bottle, save spillage, " he said solemnly.

" Good, means I can get more then what's in these pissy little glasses, " Samantha said, downing her bourbon quickly. She made a face. " Ech, now I remember why I don't like bourbon. " She giggled. " Once again, Jack O'Neill has terrible taste. " But nonetheless, she grabbed the bottle from Daniel's hand and took a long swig from it.

" Hey! " Daniel said indignantly. " That may be revolting, but it's still mine – you gotta share! " He grabbed the bottle off her and took his own swig.

For a few minutes they sat together in silence, passing the bourbon between them, and then Daniel said, " So what _is_ going on between you and Jack? I heard him and Kerry Johnson broke up. "

Samantha took a long swig, for courage. She shrugged. " Don't ask me. It's being going on so long now, I don't care any more. " Another swig of bourbon, followed by a giggle. " What about you, Danny? " she asked mischievously.

" What about me? " He was captivated by her lips as she spoke, as she drank, as she laughed. He wondered what those lips would feel like to kiss.

" Is there anyone special in your life? I mean – " she giggled, " – apart from the Goa'ulds and intergalactic nutcases you manage to attract. "

" Oh, I'm sorry, it seems someone has forgotten about Narim and Martouf, " Daniel reminded Samantha sweetly, evading the question. He wasn't _that_ drunk yet.

Samantha giggled at the memories of the Tolan and Tok'ra she had been involved with, of sorts. It was _really_ hard to conduct an intergalactic romance. " Hey, I _had_ a real, human boyfriend, " she pointed out.

" And I had a real, human wife, " Daniel countered.

Samantha rolled her eyes and giggled. " Sha're doesn't count, " she said. " That was years ago. Hey – " a thought occurred to her, and she wondered why she hadn't thought of it before " – does that mean you haven't had sex since she – um – since Sha're? "

" I'm not answering that question, " Daniel retorted. OK, so technically there had been Hathor, but he'd rather not remember that.

Samantha grinned evilly. " I'll take that as a yes, " she said.

Daniel glared at her. Why did she had to be so persistent about something that was embarrassing him? " OK, then, did you and Martouf ever sleep together? " he asked triumphantly. It had always been a curiosity of his, and if she didn't answer, at least she would shut up.

Samantha's expression immediately went serious. " OK, I'll drop it, " she said, which Daniel took to be a yes. He smirked, his blue eyes sparkling with unspoken triumph. God, he had such beautiful eyes.

Samantha stood up. " I need to go to the bathroom, " she said, and unsteadily she trotted off to the bathroom. Daniel watched her retreat, his eyes focusing on her toned ass (years of military training) and her long legs hungrily. God, she was hot. And her teasing about sex had got him worked up.

He would never admit it, but his late wife _had_ been the last woman he'd slept with. Well, without the aid of drugs, anyway. After her capture and then death, he'd thrown himself into his work. After a while it became easy to concentrate on other planets, and it wasn't hard to justify not going out much when the only woman you really wanted was with you most of the time.

In the bathroom, Samantha took her time washing her hands, trying to gather her thoughts. Her teasing with Daniel had gotten her worked up. It didn't help that he was so goddamn hot. Idly she wondered what it would feel like to be kissed by him. _Stop it, Carter! _she ordered herself. _Daniel is _not_ part of the equation. _

As if he had sensed her thoughts, Daniel appeared in the doorway. She spun around to look at him, and his eyes pierced hers. She felt giddy with alcohol and lust. " There is one special person in my life, " he said gutturally, and he quickly closed the distance between them to envelope her in a tight, possessive hold. Before Samantha could gather her senses, Daniel's mouth came crashing down on hers and he was kissing her hungrily.

Her sense took complete leave of her, and she kissed him back with as much hunger. He wanted her, and it felt good to be wanted. His mouth left hers and trailed kisses down her face and neck, his fingers fumbling at the buttons on her shirt. She whimpered at the feel of his hands on her bare skin, and returned the favour by opening up his own shirt and running kisses down his chest. He growled and pushed her against the bathroom door. Soon her shirt was on the floor, and her bra followed it, liberating her breasts. With a growl of delight, Daniel took one breast in his hand and the other in his mouth. Sam squealed and arched her back at his ministrations. For someone who was as drunk as she was, Daniel knew how to get a girl worked up. She felt his hands fumbling at the belt on her jeans. She could feel his hardness against her thigh and it turned her on at least as much as it sent warning lights off in her head.

" Daniel… " she protested weakly, not really wanting him to stop. " We shouldn't be doing this – _ooohhhh… _" she cried out when his fingers slid into her warm wetness. Her body was crazy with desire, she couldn't remember wanting a man like this. And _Daniel_ wanted _her_, which soothed her ego. " Fuck me, Daniel, " she cried out, scarcely believing the words had left her mouth.

Daniel looked at her in mild surprise but her coarse words only served to inflame his desire. " Say that again, " he ordered. He was pulling down her jeans and then his own.

" Fuck me, Daniel! " Samantha screamed. She caught a glance of herself in Daniel's bathroom mirror, and she could scarcely believe this was her behaving so wantonly. And she knew the alcohol was only partly to blame.

Daniel hoisted her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist, she plunged deep inside her. " Daniel… " Samantha groaned, digging her nails into his back. He began pumping hard and fast, and she began screaming with more and more fervour, matching his groans. His mouth was on hers, on her face, her neck, her breasts while she explored what she could of his body with her hands and mouth while she screamed his name.

It was over quickly, but both of them had been satisfied. Slowly he lowered her so she was standing and wrapped his arms tightly around her, still pinned between his body and the door. " I can't believe we just did that, " he panted heavily.

Samantha smiled. Daniel had never looked so hot. She kissed him. The she leaned against the door, her body suddenly feeling the effects of the alcohol.

" Sam? " Daniel asked. " Sam, are you OK? "

" No… I'm… not… " she groaned, suddenly grasping her stomach and lurching for the toilet. A considerable amount of the alcohol she'd drink that night came back up, and she suddenly felt miserable.

Daniel was immediately at her side. He touched her gently. " I think you need a shower, " he suggested. He helped Samantha to her feet – or, rather, lifted her because she suddenly felt too sick and uncoordinated to do anything – only to have her groan and pass out in his arms.

Daniel gritted his teeth. Things had gone very sour ver quickly. Maybe it was just his imagination, because you didn't sober up _that_ quickly, but he felt his mind becoming quickly unclouded at this turn of events.

He contemplated dragging Samantha into the shower with him, then decided against it. He settled for washing her face, and dressing her in one of his shirts. He carried her into his room and laid her down on his bed. He contemplated taking the couch, and decided it was ridiculous being so prudish after what had transpired between them. But he put on a pair of boxers when he usually slept in the nude and lay next to her, draping an arm across her unconscious body, protectively more then intimately. " Night, Sam, " he told her still form.

A few hours later, Samantha was woken up by the first of the sun's rays shining through the window. Grudgingly she opened her eyes, and was assaulted with a splitting headache.

She looked around her, and tried to work out where she was. Her surroundings were completely unfamiliar.

She felt a weight across her, and slowly she turned to see Daniel's sleeping form next to her.

With horror, the memories of last night came flooding back to her. She and Daniel getting roaring drunk together. The intimate turn in their conversation, their frantic coupling in his bathroom like they were horny teenagers. Samantha stifled a groan, partly from embarrassment and partly from the achy, sick feeling that was rampaging her body. She had _never_ behaved like that, even as a horny teenager.

Even in her wildest fantasies – most of them involving Jack – she had never behaved like that.

Her stomach churned, and she stifled the urge to throw up. She had to get out of here. She couldn't stay here, in Daniel's bed, practically naked. She felt panic rise up in her stomach and flood her body. _She had slept with Daniel! _That was so wrong. So very wrong. She didn't know exactly why, and she couldn't help but remember how intense, how earth-shattering the sex had been, but still… it was wrong.

She wondered what Jack would think of her now. She felt like he'd betrayed him, even though there'd been no 'them' for her to betray. Even in the time she had been with Pete – and shared him bed – she had never felt like she'd betrayed Jack.

But then, she'd never come alive in Pete's arms the way she'd come alive in Daniel's.

_I have to get out of here_. She realised she wasn't wearing her clothes, she was wearing a man's shirt – Daniel's, she assumed. _My clothes. Gotta find my clothes_. The bathroom would be a good place to start.

With a sigh of relief, she found her jeans and top lying on the bathroom floor. The last thing she wanted to do was wake Daniel up to ask for them. She quickly dressed and left his apartment, calling a cab from her call phone. _Have to get out of here, have to get out of here_, she kept telling herself.

Back at her apartment, she showered, scrubbing herself until her skin was red as if that could take away the events of the previous night. During her shower, she realised she had to work in… _thee hours! Oh, shit_, she thought hysterically. Her head throbbed, her body churned and she was exhausted. But she couldn't call in sick. Daniel would probably be doing the same thing, and if they _both_ called in sick people would get the wrong idea, like people in any workplace got the wrong idea when two colleagues called in sick together.

Except this time, it wouldn't be the wrong idea.

An hour after Samantha had left, Daniel woke up with a pounding headache. He didn't even have the Samantha's advantage of having thrown up a portion of last night's alcohol.

He glanced to his side and his heart fell. Samantha was gone. OK, so it made things easier – making small talk with colleagues the morning after a night of drunken sex was not Daniel's specialty – but he had wanted her to be there. He hadn't realised how much until he realised she was gone.

A lot of stuff had come out last night. Daniel felt blood rush to his cheeks when he thought about just how much. Not to mention the other stuff… he felt the blood rush rather and was momentarily grateful that Samantha wasn't here to see him acting like a schoolboy.

Although come to think of it, he had never acted as a schoolboy the way he had acted last night.

The memories came flooding back, although the experience itself had been brief. Brief – but _hot_. He couldn't remember sex ever being that hot, and although it felt disloyal to admit it, that included Sha're.

The feel of her naked skin. The _look_ of her naked body, her taut skin, her long, toned legs, her pert breasts that tasted so… Daniel felt flushed again, his body responding to his memories despite the pounding in his head.

He glanced over at the clock, and realised he started work in… _two hours! Oh, shit_. No doubt Samantha would be calling in sick, and if he called in sick too, people would get the wrong idea.

Even if the wrong idea happened to be the _right_ idea in this instance.

Groaning, he crawled out of bed and hit the shower. Three extra-strength headache tablets only took the edge off the throbbing in his skull. _I will never drink that much again_, he vowed. An image of Samantha swam in his head and he knew he would do the same thing again if he had the chance.

Samantha cringed when she saw Daniel. Damn, if she'd known he was coming in today, she would have called in sick.

Daniel cringed when he saw Samantha. Damn, if he'd known she was coming in today, he would have called in sick.

Though the two of them tried their best to look completely with it – and fooled most of the people in the command – they didn't fool the three most important, not by a long shot.

Jack cornered Samantha in her office late in the afternoon. " You OK, Major? " he asked, keeping his voice as casual as he could. After all, despite what Kerry had suggested, he was _still_ her commanding officer.

Samantha smiled brightly – and fakely. " I'm fine, sir, " she said. There was emphasis on the _sir_ as she was painfully reminded of how far apart she was from Jack. It wasn't just the military thing, that was the least of their problems right now. That paled in comparison compared to the guilt and shame she felt for last night.

Primarily because it had felt so damn good. Even now, with a pounding headache, a queasy stomach and doing her best to forget, she couldn't help thinking about Daniel, and how amazing it had been last night. No man had touched her like that before, no man had made her climax like that. She knew instinctively Jack wouldn't be able to do it and she was ashamed of her thoughts.

Lord, but Daniel knew how to kiss. She wondered where he had learned. Maybe those Abydonian women weren't as chaste as they appeared.

_Carter! _she yelled at herself, snapping back to attention. _Concentrate_. She looked as guileless as she could manage, which wasn't very, given how awful she felt." Just fine, sir, "

Jack's warm brown eyes pierced her blue ones and Samantha felt as if Jack could read her mind. " Did something happen last night, Carter? " he asked with gentleness that was unknown to Jack. Samantha wanted to cry. Finally Jack was showing his softer side, and it was too late.

_No, sir, apart from Daniel fucked me against his bathroom wall last night and it was the best sex of my life_, Samantha thought of telling Jack. Out loud she said, " No, sir. "

Jack looked at her, clearly disbelieving her words. But he knew his 2IC, and knew she wouldn't volunteer any information if she didn't want to. " OK, " he said, unconvinced. " But if you want to talk… I'm here. " And he left.

Seeing Jack had had no luck with Samantha, General George Hammond decided to talk to Daniel. It was obvious something had transpired between them – they were both in terrible shape, probably badly hung over, despite the good act they were keeping up that everyone else had fallen for – and no matter how hard they tried to keep up a professional appearance, it would eventually affect the team.

" Doctor Jackson, " George addressed his talented archaeologist. " I was wondering if you might like to talk. " He was clearly unease discussion the private lives of his team-members ; it so rarely happened, they were so professional.

Daniel stared at George for several seconds before his brain made the connection. " About what? " he asked innocently.

" I couldn't help but notice that… you and Major Carter seem to have some tension between you, " George said. " Is there anything wrong between you? "

" No, sir, " Daniel said. " I guess we're both a bit strung out. " That was perfectly plausible, he knew even if he didn't quite believe it, George wouldn't question it. After all, he'd just _descended_ from a higher plane of being after being killed by a Replicator Carter, and her _father_ had died – if that wasn't stress, then what was?

George looked at him dubiously. " If you say so, Daniel. My door is always open if you want to talk. "

" Thankyou, sir, " Daniel said in a tone that made it clear he wouldn't be taking George up on his offer anytime soon.

" DanielJackson and SamanthaCarter are not behaving as they should, " Teal'c stated the obvious when he met with George and Jack later.

Jack rolled his eyes. Trust Teal'c to state the obvious. " _Duh_, " he said. " Look, my opinion? " (And ultimately, since they were his team, his opinion was the one that mattered.) " They're both pretty strung out at the moment, and I don't blame them. I think they got drunk together last night, opened up more then they would have sober, and now they regret it. " It was the best explanation Jack could come up with, and he was sticking with it. " I saw give them a few days and they'll be fine. "

George wasn't convinced, but he couldn't think of any better explanation – and Jack ultimately _did_ know them best, better then he could. He depended on Daniel and Samantha to get the mission accomplished and get back in one piece, so ultimately the call should rest with him. " OK, " he said cautiously. " Jack, tell me if anything else happens. " And that was the end of the conversation, but not the end of the issue.

Samantha made a concerted effort to avoid Daniel in the days following their drunken tryst, and at first he was happy to go along with it. He wasn't in the mood for a confrontation when he was tired and hung over, and in the few days after he waited for Samantha to confront _him_. But she didn't, and their tension between them became thicker. She was happy to pretend it had never happened – but it had, and it couldn't be ignored.

He found her in her office. Since the team had conveniently been taken off missions (Daniel suspected this was Hammond's doing, not wanting to see the four of them into potential danger when he and Samantha were at loggerheads) she had buried herself in her lab work, only coming out for meals, and then to take food back to the lab with her.

In short, she was avoiding him.

Over three days, he had begun to realise how much he cared about her. He had _always_ cared about her, from the day they first met, even though he'd been married to Sha're at the time. After her death, they'd become close, very close, so close that in different circumstances he would have asked her out in a heartbeat.

But these were the circumstances they'd been given, so he had to work with them. For a few seconds, he stood outside her door, feeling nervous. Then he knocked.

Samantha looked up, and her stomach knotted in nervousness at the same time her heart did a strange little flip that could almost be confused with excitement. But no – she was just anxious about talking to him, she told herself. Their night together had been a mistake, and she had hoped if she just avoided him the problem would go away.

But of course that wasn't the way Daniel operated. Damn him, why couldn't he just co-operate?

" Daniel, " she said stiffly. " I was just about to leave. "

He stood in the doorway. " Rubbish, " she said. " You haven't left this office in days except to eat, and then you take great pains to avoid me. "

Her heart fell. He wasn't going to make this easy on her. " Daniel – " she started. She looked into his blue eyes, and she remembered the way he'd looked at her that night. She shivered, and knew she wouldn't be adverse at him looking at her like that again. " I've been busy, " she said lamely.

" You've been avoiding me. "

She shrugged helplessly. He knew her too well. " That too, " she admitted. " I needed some time to think. "

" About the night we spent together, " he prompted.

Hearing it expressed so directly, in words and not just her thoughts, Samantha's eyes flashed. The last thing she needed was to be involved with this hunky archaeologist who knew her so well, who cared for her and – " We fucked, Daniel, " she said coldly. " As I recall, those were my words. "

Her heart broke for him as she watched him recoil at her harsh words. Deep down she knew it had been more then that, no matter what she'd said at the time. She and Daniel had a deep connection that had manifested itself at an inopportune time but – in a sudden flash of clarity, Samantha knew she had always had something with Daniel, the alcohol had just brought down her inhibitions.

But it was easy to pretend it had been a drunken fuck and so, so hard to accept the alternative.

Daniel gripped the edge of the chair he was standing in front of until his knuckles went white, so shocked at the coarse bluntness of her words. _We fucked_. Like they were _strangers_ who met in a bar, not Daniel and Samantha who'd been best friends for eight years. He _loved_ her – as a friend, definitely, and maybe something more, he had never explored that possibility – and that was all it had meant to her?

" You seemed to be enjoying it, " he said harshly, searching for spiteful words that he could throw back in her face to prove _she_ was no more then a fuck to _him_. " Or maybe you're more of a whore then I gave you credit for. "

She'd broken his heart, Samantha realised dimly. She hadn't realised how much he cared about her. She hadn't realised how much _she_ cared about _him_. " Don't be such a super-sensitive _ass_ about this, Daniel, " she snapped, suddenly irritated by how hurt he was. Why couldn't he be a typical man about it, happy to have wormed out of any commitment he might have to a woman after sleeping with her?

Because if he was, she would never have slept with him, no matter how drunk she was.

Daniel purposefully strode towards her, his anger fuelling strength that easily pinned Samantha's arms behind her back, her chest pinned against his. He cupped her chin forcefully, forcing her eyes to meet his. " This is about Jack, isn't it? " he asked, his voice low, but the anger and betrayal in it clear.

Samantha didn't say anything, but trembled in wake of Daniel's violent passion. He took her silence as her answer, and released her. " You slept with me while you were thinking of Jack, " he hissed. " You _are_ a whore, Sam. " And with that he left before she could see him cry.

Samantha herself collapsed onto the floor of her lab in tears. She hadn't meant to hurt Daniel so badly. But she couldn't get involved with him – she _couldn't_. She didn't know why exactly, and tried to tell herself it was because of Jack. But she could barely remember what her commanding officer looked like while she sobbed on the floor for the man she had just driven away.

The weeks passed, and tensions between Samantha and Daniel became more and more frosty, He didn't want anything to do with her, and deep down, she couldn't blame him. Everytime she saw him, she wanted to apologise, say she hadn't meant it, she was just being too cautious – but she couldn't.

The sad thing was, her confrontation with Daniel had made her realise that somewhere along the line, she had moved on from Jack. She had been in love with him so long, and loved him _as a friend_ for just as long that she had started confusing the two. She had thought she had been in love with him when she had stopped being in love with him at some indeterminate point in the past, and now only loved him as a friend. She loved Jack, but not in the same way she loved Daniel, and now it was too late.

Daniel had been transferred into SG-4. After his and Samantha's refusal to talk to each other had caused a breakdown in communications on a mission, and Jack being injured – a minor injury, but an injury nonetheless – Hammond had given them an ultimatum : either work out their issues, or one of them transfer teams.

Since Daniel didn't much like working with Jack, either – he had become a little paranoid about every look, every touch Jack and Samantha shared – he had immediately volunteered to transfer. That hadn't been the response the General had been hoping for, but he sighed and realised that, if they weren't going to work out their issues, the next best thing was to separate them.

It had been six weeks since their night together, and they did their best to avoid each other. It would have been easy to revert to petty bad-mouth and revenge, but ultimately that would have undermined the Stargate Command, so they both avoided each other to avoid problems. It was better then feeling heartbroken all the time.

Often Samantha had thought about talking to Daniel, taking back her words. But she remembered the look in his eyes many times, the contempt he held for her. He'd called her a whore, and he hadn't been far off the truth, she felt. He wouldn't want her now, anyway. He clearly didn't care for her. So she kept silent.

Until the point where she had to talk to him.

She hadn't been feeling well for over a week. She felt queasy and irritable a lot of the time. She chalked it off to a cold, and was banished to the infirmary for a few days, with no improvement. It was then she was faced with a thorough physical to work out what the problem was.

With resentment, she stormed through the Stargate Command until she found Daniel. He was in his office, playing with some stupid artefact. Everything about Daniel Jackson was stupid right now, including the hunky archaeologists himself. This was _all his fault_.

" Major Carter, " he said with the cool civility that they had settled on. " Is there something I can do for you? "

" No, there isn't, _Doctor Jackson_, even though this is half your fault, at least, " Samantha retorted.

Daniel glared at her. " Hey, whatever you did, you can't pin it on me, " he protested vehemently. " I've kept to our little restraining order. " _No more then a hundred feet unless absolutely necessary. _

Samantha glared at him. " You _would_ think that, " she said. Then, seeing no other way to tell him, she blurted out, " I'm pregnant. "


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two 

Daniel stared at Samantha, trying to digest her words.

_I'm pregnant_.

He'd thought eight years under Jack's command had made him a lot less awkward then when he'd started at the Stargate Command. But faced with Sam's words, he felt as awkward and socially inept as he had been in high school.

" Uh, I'm sorry – can you repeat that? " he asked. It was all he could think to say. This was unbelievable.

" I said _I'm pregnant_, " she repeated irritably. God, was he stupid? Deaf?

_Yeah, that's what I thought you said_, Daniel thought. " And you're sure it's mine? "

Samantha raised her arm to strike him. His _whore_ comment still rang in her ears and she was filled with rage that he would assume she'd been sleeping around. Then she realised he was referring to Pete. Of course, as far as Daniel knew, they'd broken up a few days before the night they'd spent together.

She lowered her arm. " Pete and I – we weren't together – for more then two months – before we broke up, " she admitted. She hadn't told anyone that. Truth was, their relationship had deteriorated badly in the last six months of it. Looking bad, she couldn't believe she didn't see it sooner.

Daniel released a low whistle. " No wonder he broke it up, " he said, and Samantha slapped him.

He raised his hand to his cheek. " Jesus Christ, Sam, I'm nervous, OK? " he yelled. OK, so it wasn't the most tasteful of remarks to make, completely unlike him normally, but then, it wasn't a normal day when you were told your colleague that you'd had a one-night stand with was pregnant.

A long, uncomfortable pause. " Why didn't you do something about this? " he asked.

" _Me? _" Samantha asked incredulously. " Last I checked, it took _two_ to make a baby. Why didn't _you_ use a condom? "

" I was trashed out of my mind, " Daniel defended himself. " _You_ were the one who just came out of a long relationship. Why weren't you on the pill? I just assumed you were. "

The rigours if intergalactic travel had done something crazy to the hormones in that particular form of birth control, so she'd always relied on more physical forms of control. " Well, I wasn't, " Samantha snapped.

" What about Jack? " Daniel asked, and Samantha's heart fell. She knew she could never convince him that there was nothing going on between her and Jack. She knew that was the reason he had transferred to SG-4. He couldn't stand being neither either of them, being convinced as he was of their relationship. And Samantha knew she had given him good reason to be paranoid.

"I'll take DNA test if you want, " she said as evenly as she could manage. She wanted to cry. He wasn't going to make this easy for her. But then, she didn't really deserve it, she thought sadly.

Daniel shrugged. " It's OK. I believe you. " He hated Samantha for the way she'd played with him, but he knew she wouldn't lie to him over something like this. Idly he wondered if that meant she and Jack hadn't slept together – or if they'd just taken precautions. The latter was most likely, in his opinion.

There was a long, uncomfortable pause. " So… what do you want to do? " Daniel asked.

" Why do you think I came to talk to you? I thought – you might like – you might have something to say – about it. " Samantha felt small under Daniel's scrutinising gaze. It was like he didn't care at all.

… He wanted to take her in her arms and tell her everything would be all right, that he loved her and they'd be a family and live happily ever after. He hadn't been able to get her out of his head, even though he hadn't seen much of her lately. But she was in love with Jack, and even if she _was_ carrying his child, he wasn't going to take sloppy seconds just because it was convenient.

" It doesn't matter what I think, Samantha, no man ever forced you to do something you didn't want and I'm not about to try, " Daniel said, his voice void of any emotion.

_He didn't care! _Samantha wanted to cry, but damned if she would let Daniel see how hurt she was. _He really didn't care! He wasn't the least bit interested in what happened tho their child! _" I had expected you to be a little less _indifferent_ to your _child_, "she replied icily.

" And would it change your mind if I was? " Daniel challenged. " I have no rights, Samantha, and I know it. And I know how much your career means to you. If you want to rip this _thing_ out of you, go right ahead, I have no say in it. "

Samantha was angry and heartbroken, and she lashed out, striking Daniel again. " I wouldn't have let you touch me with a _ten foot pole _if I'd known this was what you were really like! " she threw at him.

" I could say the same about _you_, " Daniel shot back. Did she really mean that? He hadn't known her at all. " Do what you want, Samantha, you always do. " And with that he left.

Jack found her, half an hour later, still bawling her eyes out, desperately trying to get a hold of herself and failing miserably. _Get a grip, Carter_, she ordered herself. _You are the 2IC of a front-line military unit. You are not a hysterical woman who can't get by without a man_. But logic didn't work well in the face of Daniel not caring.

Jack held Samantha while she cried, and even his insensitive military nature worked out that it had something to do with Doctor Jackson – even if she didn't say so. But relations between the two of them had been icy for weeks, ever since the day they'd both come in badly hung over. Jack had though it had just been a matter of them sharing too many secrets, but he was beginning to suspect something more then that.

… He realised too late how he felt about Samantha. She'd always been available for him, even when she'd been seeing other guys. Somehow Pete just hadn't been the threat that Daniel was.

But then, a threat implied it could be eliminated somehow. And Jack had the sinking feeling Samantha's feelings for Daniel couldn't be eliminated. Samantha Carter didn't cry hysterically for nothing.

_Well, if that's how it is_, Jack thought regretfully. He loved Samantha, and he would do anything to see her happy – even if it was with another man.

He confronted Daniel half an hour later, after finding the archaeologist in his office, playing with his stupid toys – Jack had never gotten the appeal of a bunch of dusty artefacts. That was history, and his concern was the future – namely, defending his planet against him. _Each to their own, I suppose_.

Although _confronted_ wasn't exactly the word. Her slammed Daniel against the wall with all the force a career in the military could afford. Daniel, to say the least, was surprised by Jack's anger. He tried to splutter out a few words but Jack cut him off.

" Look, whatever you did to Sam, you go and _un_do it, " he commanded. " Before I make your miserable existence even more miserable. "

Daniel tried to look as dignified as he could, which wasn't much, given he was pinned to a wall with his feet dangling inches about the floor. " It's none of your business and I don't answer to you anymore, " he retorted. He was filled with resentment that Samantha would send her lover to deal with him.

Jack pulled him away from the wall a few inches, and slammed him against it again. " You made her _cry_, you bastard, " he hissed. " I don't know what you said, and frankly, I don't care. But you _will_ apologise to her. She deserves way better then that. She deserves way better then _you_. "

_You would think that_, Daniel thought bitterly. He had visions of Jack and Samantha shacked up together and his heart broke at the thought.

But he had treated Samantha badly, he knew that. Now that he'd had time to cool down, he was starting to feel very bad about being so harsh with her. He had lashed out because he was feeling sorry for himself, and no matter what Samantha had done to him, he shouldn't have responded in kind.

" OK, fine, " Daniel conceded. " I was going to do it anyway. But get your hands the hell off me. " Jack let him go and stalked out of Daniel's office, glad to be away from all those weird artefacts. Daniel was glad Jack was gone. They had once been close, as close as they could be given their clash of personalities, but now Jack was just a reminder of Samantha's betrayal.

Nonetheless, he had to sort things out with her. After pulling himself together (an assault by Jack O'Neill could leave anyone shaken) he went to find Samantha.

He found her where she usually was when not on mission – in her lab, toiling over her latest lot of samples. He couldn't help but smiling. Samantha loved her genetics the way he loved his artefacts. And Jack hadn't loved any of them. He couldn't understand what she saw in him.

" I came to apologise, " he said sheepishly when she saw him. " I was way out of line with what I said before. "

It was the first time in six weeks they'd spoken with any degree of warmth, but Samantha wasn't going to let him off that easily. " Yeah, Daniel, you were, " she said. " You didn't have to act like this was some big inconvenience. _I'm_ the one who has to deal with it. "

Daniel allowed himself to smirk. " You never were good at accepting an apology graciously, " he reminded her.

" Especially not one from a man who was wrong, " Samantha agreed, a smirk of her own playing on her face. The ice was broken. This was the most civil conversation they'd had since their night together.

" It was _really_ wrong of me to say the things I said, " Daniel admitted. " You're right. I'm as responsible for this as you are. " He took a deep breath. " Whatever you want to do, Sam, I'll support you. If you want to have it – I'll support you financially, if you need it. And if you want – " he shrugged, not being able to say it. " I'll support that, too. "

Sam didn't miss the fact he hadn't mentioned what _he_ wanted and she brought it up. Daniel averted his eyes from her face. " It's not about me, " he said.

Samantha wanted to take Daniel's hand and press it against her stomach, even though he wouldn't be able to feel the baby growing inside her. " It is too about you! " she cried, feeling Daniel truly didn't care about her or the baby. " This is _your_ baby, too, Daniel. "

Blue eyes met blue eyes that pierced her soul all the way through – and not in a good way. " But it's your body, Samantha, " he said quietly, firmly – he had always made up his mind, and if he let his resolve waver, he knew he would regret it. Whether Samantha chose to keep the child or get rid of it, she wouldn't do it because of him. And she certainly wasn't going to have this child thinking she should stay with him for the sake of it. He would not lie next to her every night while she thought about Jack O'Neill for the sake of their child. If she was going to have this child, she would go into it prepared to be a single mother – and he would give what support he could – _but he would not be sloppy seconds to Jack_.

_She would not cry over him for the second time that day_, she vowed. But when she saw the cold indifference in his eyes she wanted to start bawling again. He didn't care if she had an abortion, and if she bore this child his own concern was supporting it financially – not as a father. " Daniel, please don't be like this, " she begged, her voice breaking.

" Be like what, Major? " Daniel's voice cut through her pleas coldly. There was no other way he could be without his resolve buckling completely. Even now there was a part of him that asked what was so bad about being sloppy seconds, if it meant he could have Samantha in his life, even just a little bit? His resolve hardened. She wanted Jack, not him. " You made it clear you want to be with Jack. Well, this is my permission. Go and be with him. Do what you feel is right about your pregnancy. I'll support whatever you do. But I won't be your second choice because you can't have Jack. I won't be the man you sleep with because you can't sleep with him. "

She wanted to cry out, " Jack doesn't mean anything to me! I want to be with _you_! " but Daniel cut her off as she opened her mouth, placing his fingers over her lips.

" Please don't, " he pleaded. " I don't want to hear it. This is the best way. " And with that he left, keeping a stoic expression on his face until he got to his office, where he locked the door and started to cry.

Samantha made her decision – without Daniel. She thought about her career, the program, her future motherhood prospects.

She had always wanted to be a mother. She had intended to start young but the thing about being a woman in astrophysics was you usually had to choose, career or family. And she'd always chosen career, thinking in a few more years she'd be in a position to choose family. And then a few years would pass, and she'd choose career again, and then she got into the Stargate program and met Jack and hadn't given motherhood much thought after that.

She was getting on in life, her biological clock was ticking. If she didn't have a child now, she knew chances were she never would. And professionally, she was in the best position she'd ever been in to have a child. She was an indispensable scientist to the program, so even if she took a year of actual missions, she would still be allow to process samples found offworld. Hammond considered her a daughter, so he'd do everything in his power to make the transition easy. He'd make sure that she went back when she was needed to go back, and not a day sooner or later.

_But Daniel won't be in its life, or mine_. The thought kept coming back to haunt Samantha. As traditional as it seemed, she had always imagined being a mother with a loving husband and father. Daniel had offered his financial support, which she didn't need. She took that to mean he wouldn't be offering his emotional support.

It was hard to envisage parenthood without him. It was especially hard knowing that he'd _be_ there, that she'd see him every day, but he wouldn't be a real part of their lives – just another colleague. But eventually she came to the conclusion that there would be no better time – and if she waited much longer, there would be no other opportunity. At least there would be no issues about custody.

A week after her confrontation with Daniel, she went to tell General Hammond of her decision.

" I'm pregnant, sir, and I've decided since we don't know _anything_ about Naquada, I don't want to take the risk of exposing the baby. I'm perfectly capable of continuing my research here in the lab, but I don't want to go on any missions until after the baby's born. "

That sounded reasonable to the General. He was pleased that Samantha was staying onboard and not taking maternity leave straight away. But then, if she did that, she'd be bored out of her skull.

The General tentatively broached a sensitive subject. " And what about the father? " he asked.

" He's not in the picture, " Samantha replied quickly, too quickly. It was all the confirmation the General needed. No matter what Jack said, anyone could see Samantha and Daniel had shared more then just a few personal memories. Idly he wondered what Samantha had done to make Daniel turn away from her in her time of need – it was so out of character for him. Daniel wouldn't abandon a stranger he'd had a one-night stand with, let alone Samantha. The General wondered if it had something to do with Jack. He was no fool, he knew O'Neill and Carter had a close relationship – and maybe something more – but there had been no lines crossed and he'd been happy to leave it at that.

No he wasn't so sure, but if she was resigning from the team, at least for a year or so, team integrity between her and Jack wasn't exactly something he needed to worry about.

" Well, I hope you and, er, the father work things out, " Hammond said. " And of course take all the time you need. Your position will be there when you're ready to return. "

Samantha was grateful the General was being so understanding. She suspected he knew Daniel was the father and was grateful he didn't say anything about that. She made her way back to her quarters, where she sat down on her bed and felt very alone.

She was beyond crying now. She had dealt with the loss of Daniel, and that he wasn't prepared to have anything to do with her, or the baby. At least he had been honest with her, she supposed. Better to be upfront then to let her think he would be there for her, but still…

She sighed. She had made her decision, and she stood by it. The longer her pregnancy went on, the more she wanted this baby. She could feel it growing inside of her, she could connect with it and no-one could convince her that it just 'only a feutus'. This was her baby, and she loved it.

She just wished Daniel would love it too.

But what was done was done. She couldn't go back, could only go forward. There was no crime in being a single mother. Hadn't she achieved a hell of a lot as a woman in a male-dominated field? This was just another challenge.

The months went by, and it became apparent to everyone on the base that Colonel Samantha Carter was pregnant – and the whispers about who the father might be grew louder every day. Her ex-fiancee was the obvious choice. And then there was Colonel Jack O'Neill – it was mighty convenient that Pete and Samantha broke up around the time the baby would have been conceived. Was that the _reason_ they had broken up?

That Daniel Jackson might be the father occurred to no-one but three people. He and Samantha had done too good a job of pretending everything was OK. Even Daniel's resignation from SG-1 had appeared amicable, for the sake of the program.

But Hammond knew, and Teal'c knew, and Jack knew. It infuriated Jack in particular that Daniel had seemingly abandoned Samantha when she needed him. Jack didn't know exactly what had transpired between the two of them, neither would say, but he did know that wasn't the way you treated someone who was carrying your child.

" It's OK, Jack, " Samantha told him wearily when he said as much to her. " He told me straight out he didn't want to be with me, and he didn't want me to make my decision thinking he'd ever change his mind – because he won't. And I'm fine with that. "

But the look in her eyes told him otherwise. She loved Daniel, for reasons he couldn't fathom, and he had abandoned her. Jack figured it was time for another confrontation with Danny-boy.

Daniel deeply resented Jack sticking his nose into something that was absolutely none of his business. " I don't see why it's any of your concern, " he said coolly. " Why don't you go and be a good step-father. I know it's what you want. " It broke Daniel's heart to think of Jack raising his kid but – it was the best way. He wasn't going to get involved with Samantha when it was Jack she wanted.

Jack stared at Daniel in disbelief. " Wait – you think Sam and I are _together_? " he asked incredulously. The resentment in Daniel's eyes told him everything he needed to know. He rolled his eyes. " Daniel Jackson, _you are a fool_, " Jack stressed. " She cries herself to sleep every night because you won't have anything to do with her. "

" She looks pretty happy to me, " Daniel said sullenly. He didn't like the way Jack was making him feel like he'd abandoned her. He hadn't. He'd given her a choice, hadn't he? She'd never intimated her feelings, beyond that she'd had a thing for Jack for years. What was he supposed to think, then?

Jack glared at Daniel. " That's 'coz she doesn't want you to feel sorry for her, " he said. His expression softened just a touch. " Look, Danny-boy, she's really upset. She's putting on a good front for everyone, but she's hurting over this. I don't know what happened between the two of you, I only know that you should at least be part of the kid's life. You of all people should know what it's like growing up without a father. "

Jack's words cut deeply into Daniel's soul. He was right, even if the baby would have the love and devotion of its mother. He had told Samantha to make the choice without him, and she had. Now that she had made that choice, well maybe he could be a little involved. He owed it to his kid.

He found Samantha where she always was these days, in her lab. Now that she wasn't going on missions, she spent most of her time either there or in her quarters.

" Hi, " he said quietly when she looked up to see him. They had been friends for so long, _she was carrying his child_, and all he could say was _hi_. He felt an intense feeling of loss for what they had been, and what they could have been. _Oh, Sam. I could have given you so much more then this_.

" Daniel. " She smiled weakly. " Why are you here? "

" I came – Jack – I wanted to see you, " he blurted out. His eyes wandered down her body to her slightly protruding stomach. She wasn't showing much yet, you couldn't tell if you didn't know, but he knew inside out. Sometimes he thought he knew her better the he knew himself. Or at least, he _had_ known her.

" You made it pretty clear you wanted nothing to do with me, " she pointed out, her voice icily professional. She couldn't bear to have Daniel reject her again.

He blurted out, " Sam, I was an ass. I was hurt and I lashed out and I'm sorry. I didn't want you to have an abortion, I just didn't want you to choose me because you thought you should. I was so glad when I found out you were keeping the baby. " And he'd found out because General Hammond had told him, he recalled. He should have been the first person she told. He should have made that obvious. He should have been there for her. " And… if it's not too late… I'd like to… be part of… its life. "

Samantha's gaze was even although her heart was racing. " It's life or our life? " she clarified.

Daniel looked away. " You broke my heart, Sam, " he accused her. Her heart twisted painfully. She didn't have anything to say in her defence ; it was true. " I want to trust you, I really do but… I need time. "

Samantha let out an inaudible sigh of relief. _He needed time_. That sounded like time was all he needed – time to trust her again. " I can give you time, " she said, trying hard to keep her voice even. She would not break down and cry and declare her love for him. She would not cling. She had to have faith he would come back in his own time.

But she had to set one thing straight. " If it means anything, " she said. " I never – never thought about Jack – when I was with you. " She lowered her face and felt the blood rush to her cheeks as she remembered the night of passion she had with Daniel. She vowed one day she would tell Daniel how amazing that night had been. But not now. She couldn't coax him back to her with praise of his sexual prowess. _He has to come back on his own_. She could and would wait. She had time.

It meant a lot to Daniel to hear her say that. But now wasn't the time for happy reunion. They had hurt each other badly, and wouldn't even be speaking to each other if it wasn't for the baby. But there _was_ a baby, and it could very well be the saving grace of their relationship. _In time_, he thought, and he felt strangely hopeful. They would be parents, and in time they would be friends – and maybe more…

Tentatively, he walked over to her and even more tentatively placed his hand over her stomach. The closeness of his strong body and the intimacy of his touch made Samantha's knees buckle, and sent her backwards. Daniel snaked an arm around her waist just in time, and propped her against him

They both felt the jolt of chemistry that passed through them.

Samantha smiled coyly at Daniel, then turned her head away. Instinctively she knew it would be wrong to encourage him to kiss her. They needed to be friends again before they became lovers.

" So… " Daniel said awkwardly. " Is there, um, anything I can do to help? "

" I would _love_ one of your backrubs, " Samantha said before she'd thought about it. Even though she was early in her pregnancy, she was already starting to feel more tired then usual, and her back was starting to hurt from carrying the extra weight. And Daniel gave great backrubs. But she wasn't sure if it was a little too intimate, given the tentative state of their friendship – it wasn't even friendship – and she blushed. " Sorry, forget I said that, " she said.

Daniel pushed Samantha onto a stool and sat behind her in another chair, his hands beginning to work their magic. Samantha let out a satisfied purr. She hadn't realised how strung out she was – or maybe her back was just a symptom of her stress. Idly she wondered how much of her enjoyment was just the feel of Daniel's hands on her back. " I missed this, " she admitted.

His laugh was a low, intimate chuckle. " So did I, " he agreed.

For the next few weeks, their relationships improved to something that might be called friendship. It was a surreal situation, because they wouldn't have made the effort if it hadn't been for the baby. But since they were making the effort, they were beginning to remember just how close friends they had been, and they were beginning to rediscover the chemistry that had gotten them into this situation in the first place.

Around the base it became known that Daniel was the father of Samantha's child and there were a lot of dropped jaws. It was hard to say who was more jealous of the pairing, the men or the women.

General Hammond was happy to see them back together, or something like it. He considered himself to be a father to both of them, and he knew something had happened to make them hurt each other badly. But that seemed to be in the past now. His 'children' were making an effort to connect, and they were definitely connecting.

Until it all went horribly wrong.

It started out as a normal day for Samantha. SG-6 had brought back some interesting specimens, and she was having a ball analysing them. She barely missed going on missions, although the reminder of the baby growing inside her helped.

Automatically, she touched her growing stomach, as she did a dozen times a day. It was an incredible feeling, to have _life_ growing inside of her. It fascinated Daniel. He could spend hours playing with her tummy. And with her. He hadn't actually kissed her yet – well, properly, kisses on the cheek and forehead didn't count – but she knew it would happen soon. And the knowledge made her very happy.

Suddenly she felt a stab of pain rip through her abdomen. Instinctively she clutched at her stomach, as if the action could somehow protect her baby.

For a few seconds, nothing else happened and Samantha dared to think it had been a one-off. And then it happened again, and the pain was sharper, harder. Although the pain wasn't actually hindering her ability to breathe, she felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her and she gasped for air. She collapsed to the floor and started screaming, the agonising cry of a woman who wants her child more then anything in the world and knows she is miscarrying…


	3. Chapter Three

_Author's Note:_

This was meant to be the final chapter, but I like the way it ended very angsty, so I thought I'd conclude things in the fourth chapter. That's why this chapter is so short.

Chapter Three 

Samantha woke up reluctantly, her body knowing the pain that was going to come for her mind and heart…

The white walls of the infirmary greeted her and for a moment she thought she might be in heaven. She could remember a great pain flashing through her body. Was she dead?

No, she wasn't dead. She realised this in the next moment when she thought about her baby, and the dim realisation that she had lost it. No-one needed to tell her that ; she knew, as a mother did, instinctively. Just because she hadn't held the child in her arms didn't make her any less of a mother – and didn't diminish her loss.

She started to whimper, her heart wrenching at the loss of her child. Nearby, she saw the movement of a body – a man's body – Daniel. " Hey, " he said when he saw she was awake. He didn't know what else to say – what did you say to a woman who'd just miscarried your child who wasn't exactly your partner? _I'm sorry_ seemed a little to vanilla – so he reached for her hand instead.

She pulled it away, and he didn't try to hold onto it. Suddenly she was very aware that the only reason she and Daniel were on speaking terms was because of the baby. And now that she didn't have the baby – well, what reason was there for him to be here, other then the obligatory _I'm sorry? _She didn't have Daniel, she didn't have their baby – what point was there to pretending?

Daniel wasn't easily discouraged. Samantha's distraught screams had filled his heart with dread, and he hadn't left her side since she'd lost consciousness. He had been there with her while she haemorrhaged, had been conscious witness to the loss of their child while she had been blissfully unconscious. So much blood – he didn't know how she could survive it, let alone their child. After it became obvious the child wouldn't survive he had prayed that at least Samantha would. There could be other children in the future, but there would only ever be one Samantha…

And to his relief, she had survived. He had cried in unashamed relief when he was told she would be OK – in body, at least. She would need a lot of support to get over her loss – _their _loss. That was OK, he could do that. He would give her anything she needed. Watching her unconscious body had made him realise how much he cared for her. He had been a fool to react the way he had to her pregnancy. He wished to God he could have that time back, but at least he realised now what he had.

He would support her, they would get over their loss, they would move on – together. Daniel had decided that once she was better, he was taking her out on a proper date. Things had been so bizarre between them because of the baby, committed to each other without really being committed. They'd shared the physical intimacy of sex and the emotional intimacy of best friendship without the two combined to be in a relationship. That would change, he vowed. They would be a proper couple. Just as soon as she got better.

But Samantha wasn't aware of his plans for their future. All she could think about was the loss of the baby – _her_ baby. Daniel had only acknowledged it a few weeks ago. Painfully, Samantha recalled his apathy to her pregnancy – he hadn't cared if she had an abortion or raised it as a single mother, but he didn't want any part of it. Vaguely she remembered him saying something to the contrary the day they had reconciled, but in her grief all she could remember was his apathy.

Daniel was only here to pay lip-service to her loss. Now that there was no baby, there was no reason for him to be with her.

He reached over the stroke her hair. She tensed up visibly, and he let his hand drop. Clearly, she wasn't ready for physical contact. He'd just sit here and keep her company instead.

_Why are you still here? _Samantha asked Daniel in her head. _You don't need to be here just because you think you should_. Her back turned to Daniel, she ignored his tentative touches until he gave up, thinking she needed time to herself.

He thought about telling her he was here for her, and decided against it. That much should have been obvious, and he didn't want to push her into interacting with him before she was ready. So he stayed for an hour, not saying anything, just watching her, until the doctor came (it was times like these he really missed Janet, he could have talked to her about what he was feeling and what was the best thing to do, but he couldn't talk to this doctor) and told him he should let Samantha have her rest.

Samantha was happy and sorry to have him go. Part of her desperately wanted him to stay. She had lost their baby, and she wanted him to hold her hand and tell her it was OK. But the stronger, more prideful part of her was convinced Daniel was only performing lip-service being by her bedside. They had only gotten together because of the baby, and now that there was no baby, he was probably celebrating his close call. What kind of man would want to be tied down to a woman because of a drunken one-night stand? _No-one_, Samantha thought sadly. Her heart ached for Daniel but she was too proud to tie him to her out of obligation.

Daniel had thought that, give a few days to grieve on her own, Samantha would open up to his company, she would be open to his small touches, his fingers laced through hers, his hand through her hair. But the days passed, and she grew nom ore receptive to him. If anything, she became more and more distant, almost resentful – like he had no right to be here, no right to encroach on her grief. Like just because she had carried the child, it was her exclusive property, that only she had loved it.

She treated him like a sperm doner who, with no child to show for it, was no longer useful.

He tried to talk to her. Tried to tell her about his own loss, but she didn't seem to hear him. All she could think about was the way he had first reacted to the news of her pregnancy. He hadn't wanted anything to do with it. Well, now he had his wish.

It wasn't that she felt animosity towards Daniel, beyond the resentment that he kept acting like they had been a real couple and not together for the sake of the baby. It was just that, in her mind, it had been _her_ baby, and Daniel the reluctant father. Now she had lost the baby, and lost part of herself with it, and he was free, and she couldn't bear to have him around in this small capacity when she wanted him heart and soul. If she couldn't have him entirely, she didn't want him at all.

" I don't know why you're still here, " she told him stiffly one day about two weeks after the miscarriage. She kept her voice impersonal, afraid that if she didn't, she might break down and cry and make a fool of herself begging Daniel to stay. If he wanted to stay, it was of his own free will and not because of guilt.

Her cold, impersonal words struck at Daniel's heart. He had tried to be there for her in this part fortnight, and she'd rebuffed his words, his gentle caresses at every turn. It was like she had only reconciled with him because of the baby, and now that there was no baby, there was also no point.

He had thought the thing she'd had with Jack was over, but now he wasn't so sure. Had she just told him that because she thought he should be part of the baby's life? Had she _lied _to him for the sake of their child? _She's got no reason to lie any more_, he thought sadly. All the dreams he'd had for their future had been built on a foundation that hadn't existed. She was still carrying a torch of Jack O'Neill – that was the only thing he could come up with that made any sense. Why, after their closeness in the weeks before her miscarriage, with all their tentative plans for a life together, was she turning her back on it – unless she had only planned it for the sake of their child?

He wanted to cry, but he didn't want Samantha to feel sorry for him. If she wanted to be with Jack, he wasn't going to make her stay with him just because she felt guilty. She had been with him for the sake of the baby. Well, there was no baby anymore, so she was free.

He left without saying a word, afraid that anything he said would betray his heartbreak. He would no break down and cry when there was no hope. He would leave with some dignity. He consoled himself with the fact that, if she had only been with them for the sake of the child, it would not have been a happy relationship, so maybe it was a good thing the child hadn't been born.

But such words were cold comfort to him when he thought about the life he'd had planned for him and Samantha. He hadn't told anyone, of course, but everytime he passed a jewellery shop he took more then a passing glance at the selection of engagement and wedding rings, fantasising about one day putting one of her delicate fingers. Their child would have been a flower girl of page boy – they had never found out the sex.

They had never found out a lot of things. And now they never would.

In the privacy of his quarters, Doctor Daniel Jack broke down and wept for the loss of everything he held dear. His unborn child, who had come to mean more to him then he could ever have anticipated, the loss of his life with Samantha – which had turned out to be nothing more then an illusion. Samantha had never wanted him, she had always wanted Jack. He had just been an inconvenience, an obligation.

_Oh, Sam_, he thought as waved of grief and loss washed over him until he well he was drowning in his emotions. _I wish we could have been what I wanted. I wish you wanted the same thing_.

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In her infirmary bed, Samantha cried silent tears, not wanting to draw attention to herself. Not that anyone would have begrudged her tears, but nonetheless she didn't want people to see her cry – for the loss of her baby, for the loss of her life with Daniel, which had only been an illusion, but that didn't stop her from feeling its loss as painfully and completely as she felt the loss of her child.

_It's better this way_, she tried to tell herself. _It's better I found out now then later_. In that regard, maybe it had been a good thing for her to lose the child – growing up with parents who didn't want to be together was _not_ a healthy way to be. It didn't stop Samantha was missing Daniel desperately though.

So she cried for the loss of her child and the loss of its father. She cried because she wanted so badly for Daniel to want to be with her. For eights years she had overlooked her archaeologist best friend thinking she'd wanted Jack, and now that she knew what she wanted, it was too late – that was, if Daniel had ever wanted her at all.

Now it didn't matter. She has lost her baby and she had lost Daniel, although she hadn't exactly had him in the first place. The only thing to do now was get on with life – without the two things she wanted most.

_Oh, Daniel. I wish we could have been what I wanted. I wish you wanted the same thing_.


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four 

_Author's Note: I've taken Daniel's age from the Season Two episode 1969, in which Daniel says he would have been about 4 in 1969, which puts his year of birth at about 1965. Hence, he'd be forty or close to in Threads. (It screened in Australia early 2005). Michael Shanks was born in 1970, which makes him 34-5 in Threads. _

The months went by, and Samantha and Daniel ceased speaking to each other unless it was absolutely necessary. There was no need to communicate – each thought the other had made their point clear – now that there was no baby, there was no need for them to have anything to do with each other.

In public both of them put up a good front that they were happy with this arrangement, that everything was hunky-dory.

In private they often cried themselves to sleep, pining for what could have been.

Jack watched the emotional deterioration of his 2IC with increasing concern and frustration. To everyone else, Samantha looked OK, but it was obvious to him that she was not. Losing the baby had been only a minor thing compared to losing Daniel.

For the first month, Jack had hoped she would just get over it. He had never seen the appeal of Daniel. The guy was too emotional, too much of a dork.

But emotional dork or no, Samantha loved him, and as much as it pained Jack to admit that, he loved her too much to have her remain in misery. If he thought it would work, he would have moved in on her himself. He loved her, and wanted to be with her – he would have resigned from the military if he thought it would help. But he knew it wouldn't. Any fool could see how deeply she loved Daniel. And how deep her hurt ran for not having him. So Jack, in his love for her, would do his best to see them together. _If you love someone, set them free_, he thought wryly. _Well, I certainly love you. Samantha Carter. Enough to see you with someone else_.

But like all great plans, this one proved tougher in reality then it looked in Jack's head. Samantha was absolutely determined not to risk her heart again. " We were only together because of the baby, Sir, " she said. " What's the point of pretending otherwise? " She wanted to confide in Jack everything, about how much in pained her everytime she saw Daniel, how much it broke her heart everytime she heard two women talk about how gorgeous he was, how she imagined that it was only a matter of time before he turned his attention to one of those women. He was a man, after all. But pride prevented her from confessing her true feelings. It wouldn't achieve anything, except to have Jack think less of her. _Samantha Carter, emotional woman_, she thought bitterly. How she wished she could be stoic like Jack. It would be easy then feeling like she was feeling right now.

But then, she would never have felt the rapture she'd felt in Daniel's arms, either.

_Stop it, Carter! _Samantha ordered herself. _Thinking about that is not going to help. It's only going to make you more miserable. _But thinking about Daniel came easily to Samantha, as easily as breathing.

It was obvious Samantha was happy to pretend everything was fine. Jack felt sympathy for her. She had been trained to ignore every 'female' instinct such as love – to be in love was to be weak, to be a woman. And damned if she would show that she was weak. She could be just as stoic as any man on this base – and that was her biggest weakness, Jack thought. Screw being stoic, love was far more important. He wished he'd known that when it had mattered, with Sara and then with Samantha. But that was in the past, his concern now was making Samantha happy. So he tried to talk to Daniel instead, hoping the civilian cared less about being stoic then his Colonel did.

… Daniel was no more open to Jack's matchmaking attempts then Samantha had said. " We were only making an effort because of the baby, so why bother now? " he asked, sounding eerily like Samantha. Jack wondered if they'd been reading from the same book. _You Don't Want To Admit You're in Love : The Top Ten Ways of Keeping a Stiff Upper Lip_.

" Maybe you should talk to her, " Jack suggested. " I think she's just putting an appearance up for your sake. "

Daniel's blue eyes burned at this suggestion. " _She_ rejected _me_, " he recalled. " I was there every day for her while she turned her back to me until I just gave up. She doesn't care, Jack. We made a mistake and now it's over. We have no reason to have anything to do with each other. "

There was finality in his voice, but heartbreak too. He thought about confiding in Jack the heartache he felt whenever he saw Samantha, how he wanted to punch any guy he overheard admiring Samantha's attributes (especially the more cruder admirations) like Samantha was still his girl – which she had never been, anyway. _No way_. Jack already thought he was an emotional dork. Daniel wasn't giving him any more ammunition.

" There's nothing to talk about, Jack, " Daniel said. " I'd appreciated if you didn't bring it up again. " His tone of voice made it clear that was the end of the discussion.

Jack felt like tearing his hair out. The two of them could be so bloody stubborn! What he wouldn't give for the good old days back. Daniel may have gotten on his nerves with his obsession with stupid artefacts, and Samantha may have gotten on his nerves trying to prove she was equal to men in every way but _God_ he missed them.

He realised he was dealing with two stubborn people and nothing he could say was going to convince them of what was blatantly obvious to anyone else – that they were made for each other. They would just have to work that out for themselves. Hopefully soon.

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But another month passed, and nothing happened. Soon the indifference Daniel and Samantha pretended towards each other made way to the real thing, or something resembling it. The truth was, they weren't over each other and never would be. But they learnt to get along together, to enjoy something resembling a professional relationship, as if nothing had happened between them. For a while their truce of sorts seemed to be holding, and the Stargate Command was a more peaceful place.

And then Daniel started seeing someone.

More accurately, _she_ started seeing _him_. She was a pretty twenty-four-year-old blond waitress from a diner Daniel liked to patron when he got above ground. She had struck up a conversation with him one day and, upon extracting the information that he worked for the airforce on a 'classified' project, she had fallen heavily in lust with him. The combination of Secret Agent and Hunk would have made him incredibly desirable, had he ever thought to exploit it, which he hadn't. But there was something very soothing to the ego to have a hot young women practically throwing yourself at you – especially when the one you really wanted was coolly distant.

Mandie (what was it with girls who added 'ie' to their names when 'y' would have sufficed?) had done everything in her power to let Daniel know she was interested in him. A casual brush against him, a flirtatious smile, a handful of compliments for her favourite customer, and he soon got the hint and asked her out. It wasn't like he had anything better to do.

They went to see a movie, which they missed most of because they were making out, and Daniel ended up screwing her doggy-style when they got back to his apartment. He used a condom. He wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

Besides, it was already dawning on him what a mistake it would be to be tethered to someone to Mandie for the next twenty years. She was perky, and adoring, and knew her way around the bedroom, but she wasn't the sharpest crayon in the box. Maybe he was used to dealing with the Samantha Carters of the world – or at least the Jack O'Neills – but Mandie wasn't exactly bright. Neither were her friends, who thought it was awesome that she had landed herself a Hunky Secret Agent Man.

But she was fun to be around, she didn't make many demands on his time, and she was a willing and innovative partner in bed. Although more then once Daniel had caught himself wondering what the hell he was doing with someone so young. _You're nearly forty, what are you doing? _He asked himself from time to time. But Mandie always made him forget the question, let alone the answer, with one of her techniques.

Except when she was gone, and he spent the night alone in his bed, and his mind wandered to another blond who always crept into his mind when he wasn't thinking about anything else. She was his brain's default setting. She wasn't as pretty as Mandie, or as pert, or as technically adept, but she had set him on fire in a way that Mandie couldn't do.

And she didn't give a damn about him. _Damn her_.

So it was easy to conduct a kind of quasi-relationship with Mandie. She understood that his classified airforce work took up a lot of his time, and she was too shallow to realise whatever thoughts preoccupied him on the surface, underneath he was always thinking about another woman.

But that woman didn't want him, so why not be with one who did? Mandie didn't make any great demands on him, and she was always a warm, willing body that helped stop him thinking about someone else.

Soon the gossip filtered through the Stargate Command that Doctor Jackson was seeing a young, hot blond. Once the gossip started circulating through Cheyenne Mountain, it didn't take long for it to reach Samantha's ears.

And the shock just about killed her.

In her mind, she had prepared for the eventuality that Daniel would start seeing other women. But she would never be able to fully prepare herself for the reality. Especially when the reality was so young, and cute. Samantha was suddenly very aware of her age. She was healthy, and she was in excellent shape thanks to her military training, but she knew she couldn't compare with Mandie's youthful perkiness. And she bet Mandie was one of those girls who started out in the bedroom early, so she had lots of experience and tricks to keep Daniel entertained.

The shock of Daniel's involvement with another woman, and _such_ a woman, opened up new wounds. It also made her aware of a date on the calendar that she'd been trying to ignore : the birth of her child. Her and Daniel's child. A date she bet Daniel was blissfully unaware of.

The combination of the two things proved to be too much for her and she broke down in tears. She had never been more aware of the loss of Daniel then she was right now. Daniel was gone. Their baby was gone. She felt she had nothing to live for.

After crying for over two hours, and the feeling of loss just seeping deeper and deeper through her soul, it occurred to Samantha that there was a way out of this. She composed herself – it wouldn't do for some well-meaning person to stop her on the way to the infirmary – and made her way to the infirmary, where all manner of drugs (including some powerful sedatives not available on the market) were kept. She knew exactly what she was looking for, and helped herself to a bottle full of sedatives. By the time anyone realised they were missing, it would be too late to do anything about it.

Back in her quarters, she quickly swallowed the entire bottle of pills. May as well go the whole hog. Soon enough, she began to feel the effects of the sedatives and looked forward to the relief they would bring. Sweet relief. She would no longer have to think about Daniel or their baby…

But it went against Samantha's nature to leave without an explanation. If there was one thing she hated, it was her actions being interpreted contrary to what she'd intended. Now that she had nothing to lose, she may as well be honest about her feelings for Daniel. With the clarity of someone near death, she realised she had been a little too harsh on Daniel, pushed him away when maybe she could have let him in. Who knows what might have happened if she'd opened up to him rather then protecting herself from possible rejection? It was too late now, he was involved with that silly blond bitch, but Samantha was suddenly filled with the desire to set the record straight before she died.

_Dear Daniel_, she scribbled on a piece of paper she took from her desk.

_I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression about how I felt about you, and our baby. I'm sorry if I let you believe I was in love with Jack. From the moment you first kissed me, it was about you, and only you. I pushed you away because I was scared, because I was so used to the idea of being in love with Jack, and I knew how to handle that situation, that the idea of anything different scared me. The idea of being with _you_ scared me because I wouldn't be in control. I wouldn't be Colonel-Samantha-Carter-you-will-obey-my-order. I would just be Sam, part of a relationship. And that's something I'm not used to. _

_But I always loved you, even if I didn't show it. After I lost our baby, I wanted you so much. But I didn't want you to be with me just out of obligation. So I pushed you away. I'm sorry, maybe I should have been more open. I suppose _

_it doesn't matter now but I just want you to know that I love you, I always have._

_… Sam_.

She put the pen and paper on the ground, satisfied with the sentiment. It was kind of sappy for her, but then, it didn't really matter anymore. With the sudden burst of energy to write a goodbye note gone, she felt her eyelids become very heavy as the sedative set in. She lay down on the floor and drifted off to sleep. _Goodbye, Daniel_, were her last thoughts.

_Author's Note: _

_Yeah, I know, I said this was my last chapter. But Chapter Five really in my last chapter. I just wanted to keep you all in suspense._

_Chapter Five coming soon!_


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five 

" Colonel Carter? Colonel Carter, can you hear me? "

Samantha became gradually aware that someone was calling her – and that someone definitely did not sound like God. At least it didn't sound much like Satan, either.

She groaned. Her body ached, especially her stomach. He head didn't feel that great, either.

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes. Her surroundings looked suspiciously like the infirmary at the Stargate Command. She groaned again when the familiar face of one of the Command's doctor's came into view. She _was_ in the infirmary.

She was still alive.

She immediately started to cry. " Why couldn't you just let me go, " she sobbed to the poor doctor, who wasn't used to patients being so ungrateful about their lives being saved. But then, this one was different. This ones heart had been broken over and over, first by the loss of her child, then by the loss of its father – and the continued loss she had felt every time she saw him. Her note had made that pretty clear.

She had been found barely alive two hours after taking the pills. It was a miracle she was alive, given how much she had taken and how strong the pills were. She had definitely been making a serious attempt to die, this wasn't seeking attention. _He must have broken her heart pretty thoroughly_, the Doctor thought, although who could really have told, she had gone to such lengths to convince everyone she was happy.

For a while it looked like it was touch and go, but General Hammond had insisted they keep working at her until they brought her back to life. Samantha was like a daughter to him, aside from the practical side of Samantha being the best damned scientist the Stargate Command had.

Once it became apparent that Samantha would live, Hammond really had a go at Daniel. " This has gone _too far_, son, " Hammond roared with all the fury of a vengeful God. Or at least a vengeful father. He loved Daniel like a son, same as he loved Samantha, but he was _really_ sick of the two of them fucking around. Why couldn't they see they were made for each other? The General had thought eventually they'd just get their act together, but things had spiralled out of control. Samantha could have _died_. The thought chilled the General to the bone.

If it had chilled the General to the bone, it had shaken Daniel to the very core of his being. In the eight years he and Samantha had known each other, he had always been assured that she would be there – as his friend, and later, even when their relationship turned sour, as his colleague of sorts. The point was, she would always be around.

Or so he thought, until he'd received a call at home saying Colonel Carter had attempted to kill herself, done a thorough job in fact, almost succeeded, he might want to come in, especially in light of the note she'd written before she went to sleep.

_The note… _God, the note. An honest, tragic confession of her feelings for Daniel. If only she'd been honest with him! It had reduced Daniel to tears to think about how badly they'd crossed their wires – the time they had wasted, each thinking the other didn't care, each being determined to go along with that indifference so they wouldn't look like they were begging.

If only she hadn't rebuffed him so brutally after their night together. If only he hadn't reacted so badly to the news of her pregnancy. If only she hadn't pushed him away after the miscarriage. If only he hadn't let her. If only – if only – a dozen different scenarios were playing out in Daniel's head, a dozen different opportunities when they could have responded to each other with more openness, more care, and things would have turned out so much differently. If only – and now it could be too late. Even after she'd been stabilised, there was no guarantee she'd pull through, let alone be the same Samantha Carter she had been before the overdose. That kind of concentration of drugs could have caused permanent damage. And that didn't even include the emotional damage she must be feeling. Daniel was racked with guilt. _Of only_.

Hammond had ended up sending him home for the night. " I want you to think long and hard about what you want, " he ordered Daniel. " If you want to be with – well, that's your decision, although I don't know what you see in her. But if Carter pulls through this, she'll need the support of everyone around her – so you either support her or you get out. "

As if it was a real decision to make. But Hammond wanted him off the base, so Daniel went back to his apartment, which now felt very cold. Everything about the world felt cold with the possibility of life without Samantha looming over him.

After an hour of moping at home, frightened to the core that Samantha would die, Mandie dropped by. She was the last person he wanted to see, but he let her in anyway. It wasn't her fault Samantha had overdosed, he had no right to treat her badly because of it.

Mandie had been receptive to Daniel's mood and subtly set about seducing him. She had a finely tuned antennae when it came to competition, and she had known instinctively when he had picked up the phone yesterday, the 'Sam' he spoke about with loving concern in his voice had been a Samantha, not a Samuel. She imagined Samantha to be reasonably attractive (not as attractive as her, of course, and she would be old, the same age as Daniel – Mandie considered over-thirty old for women, though not for men, if they were as hunky as Daniel was) and super-intelligent, working with Daniel in their Classified Secret Agent stuff. Mandie was immediately wary, and determined to defend her turf.

Sure, she was sorry this woman was in whatever trouble she was for Daniel to be concerned about her, but that didn't mean she was letting her man go without a fight. Daniel was gorgeous, and smart, and made decent money. Like hell she was giving him up.

Despite himself, Daniel found himself responding to Mandie's touch, just like she had planned. She kissed him softly, and encouraged him to let go of whatever he was bothering him and indulge in a physical release. Once she had him in bed, he was all hers. Mandie bet that Samantha didn't know any of the tricks she knew.

After a few minutes of skilful caresses, Daniel was showing his arousal and Mandie let him to the bedroom where she slowly took his clothes off and hers, until he was well and truly hard. She slipped a condom on him (it was a constant irritation that he insisted on it, like he thought she was unclean or something) and climbed on top of him. He released a shudder of delight when he slipped inside of her, and she smiled with triumph.

She began rocking him, slowly at first, then harder and faster as he became more involved, grabbing her hips and grunting in time to his trusts. He was going to come quickly, but she didn't care. He was focused on _her_, and that was what mattered.

Daniel was removed from the situation, removed from his bedroom, from Mandie, to a night nine months ago when he'd confessed his feelings for Samantha… taken her in his arms… taken her as hungrily as an animal in the jungle… only he'd loved her at the same time, loved her more then any other woman, including Sha're. He'd experienced more in that one frantic night with her then he had in his whole life. Who was he kidding that he could do without Samantha? _He loved her more then life itself_. He'd been a fool to let things turn out as they had.

" Sam! " he cried out loud as he came, his fingers digging into Mandie's hips and holding her tightly against him as the physical release came to him. For a moment, he was with Samantha, having made love to her, and he didn't have to worry about stupid condoms because they loved each other and they wanted a family together.

And then he became aware that he wasn't with Samantha, he was with Mandie – a twenty-four-year-old waitress who had a great body and an empty head, who knew how to fuck but not how to make love. Mandie, who was looking at him with an expression of hate.

She climbed off him, furious that her lover should be thinking about another woman while he was with her, furious that her powers of distraction weren't as powerful as she'd thought they were, furious at this woman who probably had good-looking, hunky men crawling all over her and didn't need Mandie's.

" Bastard, " she hissed at him.

He didn't bother to refute the charge. He _was_ a bastard, for neglecting Samantha, and dating – or was it just screwing? – Mandie because it was convenient. " I'm sorry, " he said lamely.

" Sorry you were thinking about someone else, or sorry you got caught? " Mandie countered. He owed her some serious grovelling before she'd forgive him. There was an expensive restaurant she wanted to try out but couldn't afford on her wage. And a gorgeous necklace she'd seen in the window of an upmarket jewellers…

" Sorry I got you involved in this, " Daniel said gravely. " I'm sorry, Mandie, I should never have taken things this far with you. "

Mandie's petty resentment turned to real fear and resentment. " What do you mean, _you should never have taken things this far_? You're saying you didn't _mean_ to sleep with me all those times? You didn't _mean_ to act like my boyfriend? You didn't _mean_ to make me fall in love with you? "

Daniel looked pained. " Be reasonable, Mandie. I'm sixteen years older then you. You're barely out of high school. You can't possibly be in love with me. "

" I _am_, " Mandie sobbed, seeing her the pleasant reality of having a hunky older boyfriend disintegrate in front of eyes.

Daniel wasn't going to engage in a game of are-not-am-too with Mandie. He was sorry things had ended up like this but what was he supposed to do, let things stay the way they were? " I think you should go, " Daniel said quietly.

Mandie saw Daniel was serious. He was leaving her to be with some butch airforce hag who couldn't possible be as pretty or talented as she was. Well, he'd be sorry when the sex was boring. Then he'd come crawling back, and she _might_ take him back. It soothed her ego to think such things.

She spat in his face, glaring hatefully at him. " Bastard, " she hissed. " I hope you get everything you deserve. You and that stupid whore of yours. "

Daniel wasn't going to dignify that with an answer. He pointed to the door. " Leave, " he ordered.

Mandie rolled her eyes. " Fine, I'm going, I'm going. Just don't expect me to be nice about it when you come crawling back because some airforce _hag_ is too boring for you. "

It was tempting to point out that only someone as shallow as Mandie would find what he did boring (or maybe he and Samantha were just two geeky peas in a pod) but he resisted the urge. It was childish and stupid, and he'd done enough stupid things in the last year to add another one to the list.

With Mandie gone, Daniel was on his own again. Strange how he felt less alone then when she'd been here. He'd made up his mind that Samantha was the one for him, and tomorrow he would be at the base, waiting for her to wake up. And when she did, he would be at her side until he convinced her of his feelings.

The doctor left her alone for a little while – well, under supervision via the security camera – until she realised there was someone in the infirmary. " Jack, " she said, assuming her visitor was her commanding officer. She had requested no visitors, but she figured Jack would go to great lengths to defy that request. She had to smile to herself. With all that had gone wrong in her life, it was a small comfort that she had a friend like that there for her.

Daniel felt a pain in his heart when Samantha assumed he was Jack, but forced himself to get over it. After all, it was natural that she'd expect one of her oldest friends to be there during her convalescence. And what had he done in the last year to show he was reliable?

" It's not Jack, Sam, it's me, Daniel, " Daniel said nervously.

Samantha's heart fell. She bet he was here out of guilt. She imagined he had read her note, and was here to say something along the lines of 'I'm sorry but I can't'. After all, why would any man want to be with her when they could have a perky twentysomething? She turned her body away from him.

The meaning of the gesture wasn't lost on Daniel. Well, damned if he was going to let her push him away this time. A few strides across the infirmary, and he was by her side, pulling up a chair beside her, his hand searching under the blanket for her hand, which he curled tightly inside his. She couldn't pull away from him without making a scene.

Besides, she kind of liked the pressure of his hand over hers.

" You gave me quite a scare, " he started. " I thought I'd lost you. " He could feel his voice breaking with emotion, but he didn't care. His mistake in the last year had been masking his feelings from her.

Was he upset at the thought of losing her, or the thought of being responsible for her death, Samantha asked herself. " I'm sure you would have consoled yourself with your little cheerleader, " she said.

Daniel leaned into her, and she felt lost being so close to him – and without the antagonism or distance that had existed between them in the last year. " Mandie meant nothing to me, " he assured her. " She was just a distraction… because I couldn't have you. "

" You're using the past tense, " Samantha noted, not meaning to speak out loud.

Daniel smirked. " I always knew a doctorate must have taught you some quick-thinking skills, " he mused, and she could hear laughter in his voice. " We split up yesterday. Well, we weren't really together in the first place, but I told her yesterday I didn't want to see her again. "

" Why would you do a stupid thing like that? " Samantha asked crossly. " According to the men on the base, she was the perfect woman. Good-looking, good in bed – "

" Dull as dishwater everywhere else, " Daniel interjected. " I never thought I'd say this, Sam, but I actually _missed_ having you make me feel dumb. " The way he stroked her hair while he said it made Samantha feel he quite liked it when she made him feel dumb – although she had never considered Daniel to be dumb.

He noticed she was more receptive to his touch then she had been a few minutes ago. She pushed her head against his hand ever-so-slightly and splayed her fingers so Daniel could laced his through hers. " You challenge me, Sam, you always have, " he said ruefully. " I've loved you for as long as I can remember, I was just always afraid. "

His voice was tinged with regret, something Samantha understood. She had made him believe she was in love with Jack, she had pushed him away at every opportunity. She felt tears spring to her eyes when she thought about what could have been.

" Hey… " Sensing her distress, gently Daniel turned Samantha onto her back so he was looking down at her. " It's OK. I love you and I'm here now. "

This only made Samantha cry harder from a combination of regret and relief. Regret that so much had been lost, so much time had been wasted for them to be here and relief that they _were_ here.

Daniel climbed onto the narrow infirmary bed and pulled Samantha into his arms, letting her cry into his chest. He stroked her hair and he back and whispered soothing words into her ear until her sobs gradually subsided. " I love you, I love you, " he said over and over.

Finally she lay in his arms, quiet, and he tilted her head up so blue eyes met blue eyes. " I'm never going to leave you, no matter how hard you try to get rid of me, " he promised, and he lowered his mouth to hers.

It was only the second time they'd kissed, and this time couldn't be more different to the first time. Where Daniel had kissed her before with animal hunger, his kiss now was gently, tender. His mouth barely brushed hers but they experienced plenty from it.

For a moment after the kiss they looked at each other, then kissed again. It was easy to get carried away in the heat of the moment. Samantha pulled Daniel down on the bed, his body over hers, their legs tangled together, and they began making out. His mouth travelled her face and neck, his hands roamed her body.

After a few minutes his arousal became apparent, and Samantha reached for the buckle on Daniel's belt. He withdrew slightly, pulling her hands away. When he saw the look of disappointment on her face he said, " Sam there's nothing more I wanna do then make love to you. But not like this. As I recall, it was rushing like this that got us into all this trouble. "

Samantha had to admit Daniel had a point. " That's not to say I don't want to spend every waking moment with you though, " Daniel added. " And most of the sleeping ones, too. " He wondered how the General would feel about Samantha moving in with him, after all the headaches they'd caused him.

Samantha smiled happily, for the first time confident that Daniel was with her to stay. " I love you, Daniel, " she said.

" I love you too, Sam. " And he lowered his mouth for another soul-searching kiss.

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_Two Years Later_

" How's Doctor Jackson holding up? " General Hammond asked the doctor in charge of his most favourite team-member – or at least the one that was most occupying his thoughts at the moment, given the situation they were in.

The doctor smiled reassuringly. Hammond tried hard not to show it, and failed miserably, that he had a few distinct favourites among the Stargate Command. " Doctor Jackson is doing well, sir. Taking things very easy because of what happened last time, but doing well – everything's going according to plan. You have nothing to worry about. "

Hammond nodded, trying to look like he had absolute faith in this very competent doctor. But like an overprotective father, he just wouldn't be properly reassured until Doctor Jackson gave birth to a healthy baby.

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Daniel entered his and Samantha's new apartment, which had seemed incredibly spacious when the first moved in and was becoming more and more cramped with all the stuff Samantha bought/the Stargate Command saw fit to give them. _Babies 'R' Us must be having a field day_, he thought. But he couldn't begrudge the clutter. Not given what it meant.

He prowled through the apartment, looking for his wife. He found her stretched out on the couch, watching TV and looking like the cat that got the cream. He would have thought Samantha would be the last person who would be content with sitting at home all day for nine months, but then, he had witnessed what Samantha was prepared to do for something she truly wanted. And she wanted this baby more then anything else she had wanted. Except maybe Daniel, and she had him well and truly.

Daniel sat down next to her and eased her onto his lap, his hands resting on her convex belly. She was only six months along so far, and he never really stopped worrying, but things were going as well as they could. " How is Doctor Jackson doing? " he asked, nuzzling her neck the way she liked it. Eighteen months of marriage and he wasn't sick of calling his wife Doctor Jackson. It had become something of a running joke within the Stargate Command, with the former Doctors Jackson and Carter refusing to call each other by pet names in their workplace. It had caused more then a few misunderstandings when someone referred to 'Doctor Jackson'.

Samantha smiled in contentment. " Doctor Jackson is fine, " she said. Daniel knew what 'fine' meant. _Fine_ meant deliriously happily and eagerly awaiting the arrival of their baby. She never knew she could be so happy. He turned her head so she could look into his eyes. She never failed to get a jolt when she looked at him. She loved him so much. She couldn't believe it had taken them so long to get together. But they were together now, and very happy, and that was what really counted.

Daniel caught her look, the secret look saved only for a lover, and he asked, " What? " As if he didn't know.

She smiled and kissed him. " I love you, Doctor Jackson, " she said.

He smiled and kissed her back. " I love you too, Doctor Jackson. "

**THE END**


End file.
